Shinkansen viaduct Seismic diagnosis error Some pillars did not reinforce for more than 10 years JR East January 21 18:52
Regarding the earthquake resistance of the viaducts of the Tohoku Shinkansen and Joetsu Shinkansen, JR East made an error in the seismic diagnosis and found that 367 pillars had not been reinforced for more than 10 years. JR East will implement additional reinforcement work by the end of next fiscal year.
In the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, JR East conducted seismic diagnosis on all pillars of the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen viaducts. The company had prioritized the reinforcement work for 8,500 units and announced that it had been completed by 2008.
However, according to JR East, the person in charge of the seismic diagnosis in another construction of the viaduct last August noticed a mistake in the past diagnosis, and then re-investigated again.
As a result, it was found that 367 were excluded from the target.
For this reason, reinforcement work has not been carried out for more than 10 years, but it has not been damaged by earthquakes so far.
JR East will implement additional reinforcement work by the end of next fiscal year.